I'm really scratching my head on the IQ issues with these. IIRC, you were shooting with a high-end (FF) Nikon, which should be able to handle all of these situations with ease....even the shot in the woods should look awesome. If you hit the exposure within a stop, you should not see noise.

Perhaps it is something you are doing when resizing the photos or changing formats. I use Lightroom for most of my edits, then export as a TIFF and open in Elements for any issues that Lightroom cannot handle. Then I use Lightroom to export from the TIFF to a 1024 x 683 JPEG at high quality, and run a final sharpening pass on it. That should produce a decent-looking image.

With regard to the photos themselves, the first one needs some cropping help. I'd shave a thin slice off the left, a big slice off the right and another big slice off the top. Whenever I have an image with a ton of featureless sky, I go from a 2:3 crop to a 3:5 crop to get rid of some sky. The woods shot would be OK, but IQ and noise issues need to be dealt with. I'm with Loyd in that I think the 3rd one is the nicest of the batch, but it does have noise issues and I think a bit much contrast.

Thanks guys. This where I need a fresh pair of eyes. Or a new monitor as I don't seem to see grain as much as other people do, or perhaps I don't worry about it as much.My problem is not always being able to process with the minimum of fuss, I sometimes get carried away and end up with a dog's breakfast which, because I have looked at it so long, seems to be the final product when , in fact, I have gone way too far and should have reined back many steps prior. Advice always help me to see where I should have stopped.

Number 2 is one crazy photo, after I look at it a while I kinda like it in a surreal kinda way.

But that is on the CN, the old WC before SOO??. So they just had BNSF power or that is a certain train? Not too much activity and the terrain is mostly flat, not too exciting. As an aside, in our Rockford group a guy had a presentation riding that route in a caboose as the SOO was required to provide service. Only riders were railfans back in the day and usually ended up in the cab for part. Didn't you get some normal photos, what is the town? Gladstone.

Train started at Gladstone, around 3 pm. In the past whenever I've been there it is all CN locomotives. This trip a variety with BNSF and CN, and a CSX with the logo obliterated. I had had a really bad day as I waited for the 10 am south out of Gladstone which I was going to chase and it didn't show. Waited for the 1 pm short pick up which went to Powers and through Hermansville which did appear but I lost it because of roadworks in Escanaba. Back in Gladstone I caught this leaving and heading for the border. Lucky because I was going that way too. This spot is in the town of Engadine. I got here around 4.15. The train arrived 7.15 pm. Long lens to magnify the track, we don't have anything like this in the UK so fascinating.

Last three years I have had to go to North Bay because of family. Have visited the offices of Ottawa Valley and they are very friendly. They remember me and have a chat and tell me when they are running their infrequent trains. One westerly and one easterly each day!! I have yet to go to Northland. Keeping that for when I decide not to travel to the USA which will be soon as I have exhausted upper Michigan and Wisconsin. Until this trip I had never seen a Huron Central train. Travelled Highway 17 each year and nothing. I had a go with RAW noise reduction on the Engadine shot. Seems better.

Of the three you presented at the start of this thread, it was definitely the best one.

Looking at the EXIF, it appears as if you are shooting a D850, which should arguably be Nikon's best piece right now, with a TON of resolution. Now, the $64,000 question: Why 1/200th @ f/18? I would probably be looking for at least double the shutter speed and a lot wider aperture.....but that's just me. Any particular reason for these settings?

Thank you and sadly yes. Haven't had the D850 for very long and am still learning. It is different to the previous nikon that I had. Also I had to use my 80-200 lens as earlier that day I had lost my 24-70. My stupid fault and had to buy a new one in Green Bay the following day. Therefore my position to take the shot was not what I would have chosen. I had to stand well back and try to get in as much as I could. Concentrating on that meant that the settings weren't adjusted from shots of a tank and helicopter that I had taken an hour before. Quite an interesting place this little town. Two sets of tracks meeting and a Vietnam museum. My trips are always memorable.....not always for the right reasons!!

Last three years I have had to go to North Bay because of family. Have visited the offices of Ottawa Valley and they are very friendly. They remember me and have a chat and tell me when they are running their infrequent trains. One westerly and one easterly each day!! I have yet to go to Northland. Keeping that for when I decide not to travel to the USA which will be soon as I have exhausted upper Michigan and Wisconsin. Until this trip I had never seen a Huron Central train. Travelled Highway 17 each year and nothing. I had a go with RAW noise reduction on the Engadine shot. Seems better.

Look into ON?
I dug out a Ontario Northland photo. I was up there Feb and Oct 2003. I think I got info from railpace? or online. Anyway operations are centered on Englehart. There is a daily? connection train to the CN that comes up thru North Bay, was up in the AM and then turns. There are several good locations. There is a train north and one to the branches. Good thing is there is variety of power and geography. A slow pace chase is to Noranda. At the time the CP was still running overhead trains on the OV, I have attached on.

And finally in 73 I took more a vacation trip with Mom and our dog and stopped for a short time. I posted on and had others but was not going well so back in the boxes.

Well the next time I visit, possibly October, I will have to look you up Jim and show the town. Well worth a short visit. Vietnam museum, which was closed on both of my visits, Country museum and two sets of railtracks. One is a very short line to Iron Mountain and the other is two track and I have no idea what runs along it or who owns it. Never seen a train running on them. Each day there is a short pickup freight from Gladstone through Powers and to Iron Mountain. Around noon from Gladstone. Returns about five through Hermansville.
My apologies also to Dave in Duluth. I was going to contact him last trip but I never got there. I will try again sometime.

I'm Smiling!!!! As Charles Schulz said" the squeaky wheel gets the grease". Not many seem to be a fan but for me this is so fascinating. Nothing like this in the UK. We tried to build the track on the level and used cuttings and embankments to achieve this. No respectable railway builder of the 19th century this side of the pond would have just laid the tracks in this manner .

And one more thing before I quit, I have to thank those who originally pointed out how appalling bad my processing was. These 71 year old eyes don't see that good after looking at a screen for hours. Therefore I took some time and got a much better image. Thank you for that. Now i'll shut up!!